Matchbox collection to strike gold

Sir Norman Adsetts’ matchbox obsession started when he was a young man, but instead of hoarding everyday cardboard cartons, he coveted much more elaborate creations.

Some of them were made in Sir Norman’s native Sheffield, while some are from America and further afield, and when they go under the hammer, international attention is expected.

Specialist valuers have been called in to go through the vast collection, which consists of around 2,000 separate boxes, matchsafes and matchbox covers.

While some are expected to make less than £50, a single example, which was designed for matchmaker Bryant and May by William F Wright is expected to fetch up to £6,000, with the total hammer price expected in the tens of thousands.

Valuer Vivienne Milburn, who was instructed by 80-year-old Sir Norman to catalogue the collection and prepare it for sale described the silver and enamelled Wright matchsafe which dates from 1905 as “magnificent”.

She added: “A lot of the market for these items is now in America, so we would expect to see people bidding over the phone and on the internet for some of the best examples.

“Some of the most individual pieces are a dozen Trench Art matchsafes made from brass shell cases by troops in the trenches during the First World War in order to keep their matches dry.

“These are often naively inscribed with names and the places visited during the campaign and sometimes tender mottos, they are some of the most poignant pieces of the collection.”

As well as silver, gold and other metals, some of the boxes are made in Bakelite or celluloid, papier mache or even wood.

Mrs Milburn said a particular favourite was a matchsafe with the title So to Bed, which is made in silver and incorporates a small candlestick in the design showing what the matches would have been used for.

Another interesting example is an early cast iron matchbox which dates from 1885 – however it is only expected to attract bids of between £80 and £100. Among the more valuable boxes are Russian enamelled matchsafes, which include a gilded and enamelled case by the Khlebnikov company which is valued at between £1,000 and £2,000.

Mrs Milburn said Yorkshire collectors were expected to show a keen interest in a pair of silver matchbox holders made by silversmith Omar Ramsden, who plied his trade in London but hailed from and was trained in Sheffield.

She added: “I cannot emphasise enough Ramsden’s importance in the world of metalworking and silversmiths and collectors will be interested in his work. “The collection covers a huge range and is really like a social history.

“These boxes really disappeared after the end of the Second World War and not many have survived.”

Sir Norman was not available to comment ahead of the sale.

For more information about the collection contact Vivienne Milburn on 0114 283 0292 or see the website www.viviennemilburn.co.uk

The matchboxes will be sold by specialist auctioneers Sworders in Stansted, Essex, next Tuesday and Wednesday.

The catalogue can be viewed at www.sworder.co.uk